Controlling apparatus for automobile-radiator shutters.



v TREGONING.

CONIROLLING APPARATUS 'FOR AUTOMOBILE RADIATOR SHUTTERS.

A'PPLICATJON men MAR. 9, ma.

1,289,969. V Patented Dec. 31, 1918..

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. TREGONING.

CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMOBILE RADIATOR SHUTTERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 9 19m.

1,289,969. Patented Dec. 31,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- tleboro', in the county of Bristol,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'nnean raneonme, or AT'ILEBOBO, nassac'nusn'rrs.

V con'rzaonnme arranarus ron auromonznmnnnmron snu'r'rnas. 7

' To all uihom it mag concern Be it known that I EDGAR Tmneommka citizen of the United States, residin at Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controlling Apparatus for Automobile-Radiator Shutters, of

which the following is a specification,

' My invention relates to apparatus for controlling the temperature of internal-combustion engines and consists particularly of an improvedmechanism for automatically operating a shutter or other closure to re late the passage of the air through there iator.

of the water-cooling system.

The object of my invention is to provide athermostatically-controlled electrically-op erated device -for opening and closing the shutter or other air-shield of the radiator under the influence .of changes in temperav ture in the engine or motor. A particular object of the improvement isto adapt the,

"der the device positive in action, while bein'g extremely sensitive of control, and to simplify its mechanism and insure it against derangement or getting out of order.

- The manner'and means for carrying out these improvements are fully described in 35 the accompanying drawings, in which like the following specification, illustrated by reference characters designate like parts. In the drawings Figure 1 1s a general view showing an automobile engine with its water-cooling radiator, the'alr-shield or shutter therefor, and the manner of applying myimproved device thereto;

Fig. 2, an enlarged, detail view of a section of the air-shield ,or shutter, showing it closed;

, Fig. 3, a similar view showing the shutters slats opened;

Fig. 4, a diagrammatic view or chart of the electrical wiring-connections for the device;

Fig. 5, an enlarged, front elevation of the operating-mechamsm of the device;

Fig. 6, a side view of the same; and

Fig. 7, a detail view ofone of the circuit breaking switches of the apparatus.

Specification 6: Letters-Patent.

tate of pintles or trunnions p.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.-

Application'illed March 9, 1918. Serial No. 221,388;

Referrin first to Fig. 1, o designates the upright cy' ders of a motor orv internal the chassis of the automobile on which it is mounted and R the radiator disposed in" front of the motor and communicatmg with the water-jackets of the cylindersthrouglr suitable connections as usually arranged, but

- not herein shown or described. The casing combustion engine of conventional type, A

which is mounted the shutter S or other cloi sure for obstructing the passage of the vair through the radiator. Any suitable arrangement of air-shield may be employed for, this purpose, and as here shown'it comprises the shutter S having series of vertical slats 8 provided with trunnions p pivoted in openings in the flanges f of the radiatorframe F.- As illustrated in the detail views,

Figs. 2 and 3, the lower trunnions' or hingepins 1) ofthe slats s are bent around to provide right-angled arms or. elbow-pieces e having extensions (5 which are pivotallyconnected at i to a horizontally-extending link or connecting-rod I. This provides for coupling all of the several shutter-slats s to swing in unison and they may be operated through any suitable means such as the crank-arm P rigidly connected to one ofthe The operating-mechanlsm for the shutter Sis preferably located at the rear of the radiator R. within the space inclosed by the hood or bonnet of the motor. For supporting the apparatus, I employ avertical standard or upright G which may be fastened to the engine base and steadied atthe top by a strut or brace g bolted to theforward cylinder. The parts of'the operating-mechanism are mounted on the standard or support G and rotected by a removable cover or casing H tted thereto. As before stated the operation of the device is controlled from a thermostat T, which maybe of any preferred type, mounted .on one of the engine cylinders C as illustrated in Fig. 1.

7 Referring now particularlyto Figs. 5 and v connected with. the shutter crank-arm P by a wire link N. The control-rod K slides in angle-shaped brackets 2, 3 fastened to the front of the standard G, and is provided at its lower end with a right-angled extension is engaging a slot 4 in one of the arms of the bell-crank O. The bell-crank O is pivoted on a bearing a projecting from the standard G, and into its lower arm is hookedthe end of the link N which couples it to the crankarm P on the shutter-hinge p. The rod K is adapted to be slid upwardly in its bearings through the influence of a pair of solenoids M, M actin on a slidable armature U which is of U- hape and secured to the rod at u. The downward movement of the rod K is controlled by gravity and for this purpose the weight of the armature U, which is preferably of laminated structure and relatively heavy, assists in its operation. As illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 the rod K is in raised position with the slats of the shutter S opened, as shown in Fig. 3, so that when the rod slides downwardly the bellcrank O will be rocked to turn the crankarm P to close the shutter as illustrated in Fig. 2. Above the bearing 3 is a coil-spring 5 surrounding the rod K to adapt it to act as a bufler to relieve the shock as the armature U falls against it.

The solenoids M, M are mountcdon angle-shaped brackets 6 and 7 secured to the front of the standard G, and the upper bracket 6 is extended and bent around at 8 to adapt it to support a pair of magnetcoils W, W. Fastened to the top of the bracket 6 is a fork-like bearing-member 9 formed-with upstanding ears 10 in which is pivoted a horizontal rod or pin 11. Fastened to the center of the pin 11 is an arm or lever 12, preferably constructed of sheetmetal with its end bent around the pin and clamped thereto by means of a screw 13. Suitable bushings 14 are arranged between the sides of the lever 12 and the ears 10 to hold the pin 11 in place in its bearings. The lever 12 carries a cross-bar 15 .arranged op ppsite the ends of the cores 16 of the coils W to serve as a'movable armature therefor. At the rear of the armature ,15 is an arm 17 reaching out from the standard G and carrying a screw 18 at its end which serves as an adjustable stop for the armature 15 to regulate its throwaway from the magnets. The armature 15 is normally held away from the magnet-cores 16 by a spring 19 acting on the arm or lever 12. One end of the spring 19 is anchored to an eye 20 on the standard G while its opposite extremity is hooked through the end of an adjustable stud or screw 21 threaded through an offset arm 22 on the lever 12. The screw 21 may be adjusted longitudinally to regulate the tension of the spring 19, and is held from unwarranted turning by suitable checknuts 23.

Atthe upper end of the lever 12 is a block 24 formed With a detent-shoulder 25 adapted to engage with the edge 26 of a detentblock or catch 27 The rod K extends through a hole in the block 27 and the latter is secured in place thereon by means of a set-screw 28, and is formed with an inclined face 29 adapted to coact with an oppositely-beveled face 30 on the block 24. That is to say, as the rod K is raised in its bearings the beveled face 29 on the block 27 will ride across the incline 30 on the block 24 to tilt the lever 12 outwardly and thereby allow'the detent-shoulders 25, 26-to come into engagement to hold the rod K suspended as shown in Fig. *6. The lever 12 is rocked or tilted outwardly to release the detents 24 and 27, to allow the rod to drop, through the influence of the magnets W, W acting on'the armature 15in the manner as more fully explained hereinafter.

The upward movement of the deten't-block 27 also serves a. further purpose, that of throwing open a switch L which controls the flow of current through the solenoids M, M. The switch L, shown in detail in Fig: 7, is carried at the upper end of the arm 12 extending laterally thereof. It may be of any suitable construction and as here shown comprises a fixed blade 35 secured to the arm 12, with an insulating washer 36 interposed therebetween, and a spring-blade 37 held in opposite, spaced relation therewith. The spring-blade 37 is fastened at one end to an insulating-block 38 which, in turn, is secured to the end of the fixed blade 35, the screws 39, 40 which hold the blades in place extending only part way through the block 38. The screws 39, 40 also serve as bindingosts for the wires which connect the switch in circuit with the solenoids-M, M and the source of current, these connections being described in detail. hereinafter. At the outer ends of the two blades 35, 37 are suitable studs 41, 42 which serve as contacts to close the circuit through the switch when the spring-blade 37 is allowed to swing toward the fixed one 35. The contact points 41, 42 are normally held apart to interrupt the circuit, as shown in Fig. 7, by means of a pin or stud 43 which bears against the detentblock 27. One end of the pin 43 is fastened to the spring-blade 37 by a screw 44, while its opposite end extends loosely through an opening 45 in the blade 35 and arm 12 to adapt it to be engaged by the block 27. v

Mounted on the upper end of the standard G is a second switch J which is operated automatically by the movement of the rod K- to open and close the circuit through the magnets W, W. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the switch J comprises two opposite springblades 46 and 47 secured to clips 48, 49 which are fastened to the standard G by screws 50, 51. 'The blades 46, 47 are bent inwardly at their upper, free ends but are prevented from contracting by a strip of insulatingmaterial 52 secured to one of them. On the upper end of the rod. K is a collar 54 of insulating-material clamped theretoby a screw 55. v The collar-54 carries a p1n56 projecting toward the standard G to adapt 5 it to slide in between the ends of the springwardly-projecting plate V, see Fig. 5, constructed of vulcanized rubber or other insulating-material, and adapted to serve as a mounting for three binding-posts w, y and z to which the current Wires are connected. Each post comprises a screw extending through the plate V with washers 61, 62 on either side and suitable binding-nuts 63, 64 for tightening the wires in place. Connected to the upper binding-post. w is a wire 65 leading to the movable-blade 37 of the switch L with its end secured thereto by the screw 39. From the screw 40 of the opposite fixed-blade 35 a wire 66 leads to one of the solenoids M which-is connected at its opposite terminal withthe other coil M by a cross-wire -67. From the opposite terminal of: the coil M a wire 68 leads to the lower binding-post z. The post 2 is also connectedto one of the magnet-coils W by a wire 69, and the two coils W, W are connected in circuit by a cross-wire 70. From the terminal ofthecoil W a wire 71 leads to one of the blades-46 of the upper switch J, being connected thereto by the screw 50. Connected to the other blade 47 of the switch J by the screw 51 is a wire 72 leading. to the middle binding-post y. Referring now to Fig. 4-, which shows the wiring connections in diagram, a wire 73 leads from the lower binding-post z to one pole of a 'batteryrepresented at B, or, if preferred, the current might be supplied by a generator at this oint. Leading from the opposite pole oft e battery'B is a wire.

74, grounded at 75' in the Inetal-frame'or chassis A of the machine, see-also Fig. 1.

' As before'stated, the thermostat 'for controlling the apparatus may be of any suitable arrangement and I have preferred to herein illustrate it as comprising a cylin- 50 drical casing-T mounted on a tubular stem the engine cylinders C. Referring to Fig. 4, a spring-coil 7 6 is contained within the stem t of the thermostat with'on'e of its ends con.- nected to operate an arm 77 pivoted to turn on the axis f the casing T. The arm 77 is adapted to be swung to the right or left under the acti0n-0f the contraction or expansion of the spring-coil 76 as influenced by cold or heat. On opposite sides of the swinging arm -77. are two spring-arms 78, 79 attached at their lower ends to bindingposts 80,. 81 secured in the casing T, but

i insulated therefrom. The arms 78, 79 carry plained':

t which is inserted in a suitable opening '0. drilled through the water-jacket of one ofcontacts 82, 83 at "their upper ends with which a contact-member 85L on the movable arm 77 engages. as the latter SWlIlgs t one .side or the other. .In Fig. 4 the arm 77 is shownin contact -with the right -hand spring-arm 79 and it will be noted that the 1 arms are adapted to yield to prevent restricting the action of the spring 76 which would be liable to injure its delicate structure. The arm 77 acts as the circuit-controlling element for the electrical apparatus of the shutter-operating mechanism, and is grounded at 85 in the engine cylinder whereby to complete the circuit to the battery through its ground 75. The binding-post of the left-handcontact-arm 78 is con- W through the upper switch J. Having now described. the construction and arrangement of theparts of my improved device, operation will next be exits method of Normally, .in' warm weather, the rod K,

which acts as the prime-mover for operatingthe shutter S, is held inraised position, as shown .in Fig, 6, with its catch 27' engaged by the shoulder 25 on the detentblock 24. With the parts in this relation the lower arm of'the bell-crank 0 will be rocked to the right, see Fig. 5, to hold-the shutter-slats s in' open relation, as shown in Flg. 3, to permit a free circulation of the air through the radiator R illustrated in.

Fig. .1. Now, when theweather becomes cold so that the cooling. system of the engine causes its temperature to drop below what is required for maximum efiiciency' of operation the thermostat Twill be influenced to. control-the apparatus in 'the following-describedmann'er to close the shutter S1t'o prevent further circulation of air through the radiator. As before explained, the contraction of the spring-coil 76in the ther-' and through the wires 69, 68,- 7 3 to the batteryB; the-circuit being completed from the battery through the grounds 75 and 85 back to..the arm'77. With the rod K in the sw1tch--J will be closed byithe pin 56 on the collar 54 contacting with both switch- 'raised'position, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, v

blades 46, 47. The current from the battery B will therefore flow throughthese abovedescribed connections to energize the magnets W, W andconsequently the armature 15 will be attracted by their cores 16. The movement of the. armature 15 causes the lever 12 to be rocked to the right, as viewed in Fig. 6, and the detent-block 24' will thereby be slid out from under the catch or detent 27. This release of the detents allows the rod K to drop under the influence of gravity acting on its weight or armature U, and through its connection with the bellcrank O the latter will be rocked to act through its link N and the crank-arm P to swing the slats s on their hinges to close the shutter S as shown in Fig. 2. As the rod K slides downwardly through its bearings the armature U brings up against the buffer-spring 5 to relieve the shock, and meanwhile the contact-pin 56 carried at its upper end is withdrawn from between the blades 46, 47 of the switch J. This latter action breaks "the circuit at the switch J so that the current isimmediately shut off and magnets W, W will be deenergized without further drain on the battery. As the armature 15 is released the spring 19 will swing the lever 12 back to its original position as regulated by the adjustable stopscrew 18. c

The parts of the apparatus. will remain in the above-described relation with the shutter S closed until the temperature of the engine becomes abnormally high, and it is to be noted that during this period of inoperation of the device the current is entirely shut off at the switch J. On the other hand, the switch L will have been allowed to close, due to the withdrawal of the detent-block 27 from the end of the pin 43 as the rod descended. That is to say, immediately the rod K drops, the detent 27 slides from under the end of the pin 43. on the blade 37 to permit the latter to spring toward the fixed blade 35 to close the contact at 41, 42, see Fig. 7. Referring to Fig. 4, the switch L controls the circuit for the solenoids M, M comprising the wires 73, 68 leading from the battery B to the coil M; the wire 66 leading from the coil M to the fixed switch-blade 35; and the wires 65, 86 leading from the movable blade 37 to the binding-post 80 of the lefthand contact-arm 78 in the thermostatT.

As long as the temperature of the engine is not raised above a certain point, as regulated by the adjustment of the thermostat through suitable means usually provided, but not herein shown or described, the electrical circuit just described will remain open. That is to say, the arm 77 will fluctuate in position between the two contacts 82, 84 without engaging either of them, but should the temperature of the engine become action.

excessively high, then the expansion of the coil 76 w1ll swing the arm 77 to the left to cause it to make contact with the end of the arm 78. Immediately this contact oc-.

curs, the circuit to the battery Bis closed through the grounds 85 and 75. The switch L being also closed, as above explained, the current will flow through the circuit to energize the solenoids M, M and the latter will act on the core-member or armature U to draw it upwardly within the coils. The raising ofthe armature U slides the rod K upwardly in its bearings and the bell-crank O is thereby rocked back to its original position shown in Fig. 5 to open the shutterslats s, as illustrated in Fig. 3. As the rod K moves upwardly the inclined side 29 'of the detent 27 rides against the beveled face 30 of the block 24, see Fig. 6, to force the lever 12 outwardly against the action of its spring 19,-and finally the shoulder 25 on the block 24 engages the edge of the catch 27 to hold the rod suspended. Meanwhile, as the detents come into locking engagement the side of the block 27 will act against the end of the pin 43 on the movable switchblade 37, see Fig. 7, to force the contactplug 42 away from the plug, 41 to break the circuit. It will thus be seen that as the rod K reaches the end of its upward throw and is locked in place the circuit through the solenoids M, M is immediately broken at the switch L to shut oil the current from the battery. At the same time the pin 56.

at the upper end of the rod K is carried into engagement with the blades 46, 47 to close the switch J to prepare the device for further operation when the opposite circuit is completed at the thermostat T as first explained. a

It will be observed that my improved apparatus is extremely simple in construction and arrangement, and while adapted for very sensitive control is entirely positive in That is to say, the opening and closing of the radiator-shutter is efi'ected positively by the action of the rod K, which is shifted in one direction by gravity and in the other through the attraction of the solenoids on the armature U. The delicatelyconstructed theremostat is employed only for closing the electrical circuit to energize the magnetand solenoid-coils and therefore is relievedpf all strain or stress which might tend to overcome its sensitiveness. It is also to be noted that the electrical mechanism of the apparatus can be operated from a current of low voltage and with the use of the current for only a brief period at each operation. In other words, the device is entirely automatic and self-controlling so that the current is switched ofi' immediately the shutter-operat1ng means has acted in either direction.

of the device, or in the manner of applyingit to use, without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention;

therefore, without limiting myself to the exact embodiment herein shown and described, what I claim is 1. In an apparatus for operating shutters on automobile radiators, the combmation with a verti'cally-slidable control-member positively connected with the shutter to open and close the latter, of electrlcal means for raising said member, a latch carried by said member, 'a detent for engagingthe latch to lock the member in raised posit on agalnst the action of gravity, an electro-magnet for releasin the detent, a source of current in open circuit'with said magnet, a thermosat for closing said circuit, and means to open the circuit upon the shifting of the control- .member to prevent wasting the current.

2. In an a paratus for operating shutters on automoblle radiators, the combination with a verticall -slidable control-member adapted to be shi ed in alternately-opposite directions and positively connected with the shutterto open and close the latter of electro-magnetic means for .raislng said member, a source of current in open circuit with.

said electro-magnetic means, a latch carried by the control-member, a movable detent for engaging the latch to hold the control-member in raised position at the end of its movement, an electro-magnet also in open circuit with the source of current, means operated by the-energizing of the magnet tomove thedetentto release the catch on the control-member, and a thermostat for 010sing one circuit or the other under the influence of changes in temperature.

'3. In an apparatus for operating'shutters on automobile radiators, the combination with a plurality of automobile shutter-slats,

of a link connected to tilt the slats to open I and close the shutter, a bell crank connected to move the link, a vertically-slidable control-member connected to rock the bellcrank, electro-magnetic means for raising said control-member against the action of gravity, a source of current in normallyopen circuit with said electro-magnetic means, a latch on the control-member, .detent-means for engaging the latch on the control-member to lock the latter in'raised position at the end of its movement, an electro-magnet also in open circuit with the source of current, means operated by the energizing of the-magnet to release the detent, and a thermostat for closing-one circuit or the other under influence of changes in temperature.

4. In an apparatus of the type described, the combination with a vertically-slidable control member, of electrically operated means for raising said member, a latch carried by said member, a detent for engaging said latch to hold the member against downward movement under the action of gravity, an electro-magnet for releasing the detent, a source of current in normally-open circuit with the magnet, means for closing said cir-' cuit to energize the magnet, a switch in the circuit, and means operated by the controlmember to close the switch when the detent is engaged with the latch and to open it upon the release of the detent. I

5. In an apparatus of the type described, the combination with a vertically-slidable control-member, of electrically-operated means forraising said member, a catch on said member, a detent for engaging said catch, an electro-magnet, an armature operated by the magnet to release the detent fromthe latch, a source of current, a normally-open circuit connecting the source of current with the electrically-operated means, a second normally-open circuit connecting.- the source of current with the magnet, thermostatically-operated means for closing one circuit or the other under the influence of changes in temperature, a switch in the magnet-circuit, means operated after the release of the detent from the latch to open said switch, a switch inthe solenoid circuit. and means operated by the engagement of the detent with the latch to open the last named 6. In an apparatus of the type described, the combination with a vertically-sli'dable control member, of electrically operated trol-member against downward movement und'er the action of gravity, an electro-magnet forrocking the lever to release the de tent for engaging the. latch to hold the content, a source of current in normally-open saidfcircuit to energize the magnet, a: switch carried by the. detent-lever, and'means engageable with the latch on the control-memcircuit with the magnet, means for closing ber to open said switch when the detent is A engaged with the latch and to close upon the release of the detent.

7. In an apparatus of. the type described, the combination with a vertically-slidable control-member, of .an armature carried by .said member, solenoids for attracting the arv mature to raise the control-member, a source of current in open circuit with the solenoids, a latch on the control-member, a detent for engaging the latch to hold the control-member in raised position against the action of gravity, an electro-magnet for operating the detent to release it from the latch, an open circuit connecting the source of current with the magnet, automatically-operated means for closing one circuit or the other, a switch in each circuit, and means carried by the control-member for opening one switch and closing the other after each shifting movement of the control-member.

8. In an apparatus of the type described, the combination with a vertically-slidable control member, of electrically operated means for raising said member, a latch on said member, a detent for engaging said,

latch, an electro-magnet, an armature operated by the magnet to release the detent from the latch on the control-member, a source of current, a normally-open circuit connecting the source of current with the electrically-operated means, a second normally-open circuit connecting the source of current withthe magnet, thermostaticallyoperated means for closing one circuit or the other under the influence of changes in temperature, a switch in each circuit, means carried by the control-member. to open oneswitch when the latch is engaged by the detent, and means also carried by the controlmember to close the switch in the other circuit when the latch isengaged by the detent.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDGAR TREGONING. 

